Purpose of the Marks

Sonic and the gang headed towards a Carnival set up in Ponyville a few days before Sonic had come to it. They decided to check out the sights and try some of the rides, before trying to fight Robotnik again.

"Alright guys, now remember, chill out and try to just enjoy yourself, live is for living, and Eggy we'll show up sooner or later and when he does we'll be ready," Sonic reassured the group as they were initially put off the idea of having fun till they found Celestia.

"But Sonic dear, why are you doing this, we should be looking for Celestia." Rarity immediately spoke up.

"Hehe I understand Rare' but really getting so heated up and focused on a mission stops you from thinking rationally and I like to go into a situation having fun and just winging stuff, for the most part, going to a carnival with my friends was always a way we prepared and relieved our stress before going on a mission." He said to her.

"Well, I guess you have a point, no point stressing over something that we can fix the same day," Applejack reasoned.

"So I'm gonna go and get myself some cotton candy, anyone wanna join me?" Sonic asked, moving his legs towards a cotton candy vendor. Twilight stepped up to him.

"Sure I'll go with you." Twilight accepted, taking her hoof in Sonic's hand as he walked towards the vendor. Though he didn't see was the various glares he was getting from other ponies.

"Yo dude, do you sell cotton candy?" Sonic asked, to which the vendor took one look at Sonic and immediately had an angry, distasteful look on his face, as he snorted towards Sonic.

"I don't serve freaks." He turned from him as Sonic was confused and he then turned his attention to Twilight and his expression changed "Ah, Princess Twilight, how are you? Would you like some cotton candy?" The vendor prejudicially ignored Sonic, Twilight saw what happened and had an annoyed expression.

"I don't want anything you serve me, good day!" Twilight angrily yelled at him, which prompted Sonic to ask again for some cotton candy.

"Hey buddy, I ain't trying to cause a commotion here I just want some cotton candy for me and my friend here, can I get that please?" He asked the vendor only to get what he asked for... on his face, as the vendor, grabbed a handful of cotton candy, and smushed it against Sonic's face, causing him to recoil.

"Agh! What the hell man?!" Sonic yelled, trying to get the cotton candy off of his face.

"Serves you right, freak!" The vendor rudely stated, whilst walking away, happy at Sonic's expense. Twilight saw this and gave a glare at the vendor only to stop and look at Sonic he stopped as Twilight helped him get the cotton candy off his face though was fidgeting.

"Hold still Sonic, it's still there, just relax I'll get it off." Twilight offered, to which the Cerulean hedgehog, stopped fully, allowing Twilight to focus on his face and lift the cotton candy from his face.

"Ah, much better, thanks,Twily!" Sonic said cleaning off the sticky leftover sugar out of his quills, to which Twilight immediately blushed, at his nickname.

"It..it was nothing" Twilight, said, as he brushed her hoof through her mane in embarrassment and looking down.

"Well, I wasn't hungry for sweets... anyway you wanna go onto the Ferris Wheel?" Sonic said, taking Twilight's hoof in his hand once again as he led her to the Ferris Wheel.

The rest of the gang were going throughout the carnival, looking at the acts and the events, on to which Rainbow saw a few lanes set up on with pins at the end.

"Hey, Applejack! Wanna go for some bowling?" She asked her as AJ smiles.

"Why sure I'll go for some bowling!" She answered as the two of them got onto one lane. Rainbow Dash got a bowling ball and holds it in her hoofs.

"Okay need to time it just right." She whispered to herself. She then went forward and tossed the ball right at the pins. It strayed away and hits only the sides of the pins only hitting about half of them. Rainbow then face hoofs herself for failure to hit all the pins.

"Hah, here let me show you how's it done," AJ said as she gets ready for her turn. She straightens her hat and grabs a bowling ball, she breaths and throws the ball and hits seven of the ten pins. Dash laughed at her incomplete strike though she snorted in anger as she turns to her.

"Hey shut your mouth! You didn't do too good either!"

"Both of those were really unfocused, let me show you how to this is done," Pinkie said sneaking up behind them. The two turned to her and then snickered.

"You? Really? Oh, that's a riot." Rainbow said as she was trying to hold in her laughs. AJ then spoke.

"Hehe, I'll believe that when I see it, partner," AJ said. Sonic then smirked like he was expecting this and took it as a challenge. She then picked up the bowling ball and looked at the pins up ahead. She took a deep breath and then straightened out her posture.

She stood up on her tippy hooves as she moves forward and then throws the heavy ball and then succeeds in getting a strike as the ball hits.

"OH YEAH!" She yelled out as she starts doing a dance while AJ and RD just look rather perplexed as to how Pinkie was able to make a strike even though she never played bowling before. They then look at each other and then both replied to each other. "It's Pinkie Pie." And then went on to play the rest of their bowling game with Pinkie.

MEANWHILE

Fluttershy was wandering around the carnival as she and Rarity were just looking for the fun and games of said carnival. Wanting to break the ice with her friend, Rarity started to talk.

"So, how are you doing today Fluttershy?" She asked her shy friend.

"Uhh, I've been doing well, Rarity. The animals have been a little bit unnerving since Sonic has been here, but other than that we been fine, what about you?" Fluttershy asked Rarity as she wondered what has been going on with her life.

"Well, for the most part, it's been going fine, my business has been going fine, though for some reason I've wanted to see Sonic's shoes since they look rather tarnished and I wanted to fix them." She said as Fluttershy looked confused at this.

"Well, why can't you?" She asked as Rarity looked a bit upset.

"Well, I asked him and he got upset and said 'Don't touch my shoes' or something, he looked really protective about them." She said to her while pouting.

"Yeah I noticed that he's a little…..brash." She said as Rarity nodded.

"I think that would be an understatement Fluttershy, but I know what you're saying." She then took a look at one of the vendors.

"Oh look over there, that looks like fun!" She said trying to forget what they were talking about and try and focus on something else that isn't about Sonic. She walked over as Fluttershy followed her. The owner of the vendor looks at the two of the ponies coming towards him.

"You friends with the freak?" He asked, which confused the two, Rarity answered back.

"Excuse me, freak?" Rarity kindly asked.

"That blue rat thing that's hanging with the princess, where'd you guys find that thing, in the sewers of manehattan?" The vendor rudely responded. Fluttershy was quick to answer him

"He's a hedgehog, and no we found him in the forest." She answered him which made him cringe.

"Oh, so he's a wild animal then?" He asked them as Rarity was quick to answer him.

"Well, no and yes … it's complicated, but that doesn't mean we don't like you talking about our friend that way" Rarity pointed out to him.

"Well he's not from here so what does it matter, and besides, didn't he let Celestia get captured?" He put across.

"It wasn't his fault, if you were there, you would've seen him trying to save Celestia!" Rarity shot back.

"Hehe, maybe he's in league with that criminal and just wanted to look like he was your friend, believe me once a rat, always a rat" The vendor continued, but was silenced from his slander, by Rarity's hoof slapping him right across his face.

"I think I've heard all I want to hear from you!" Rarity yelled out as she turned away from the said vendor. "Come on Fluttershy, let's go somewhere else where they aren't like him." She said as she walks away while Fluttershy was looking back and forward at Rarity and the vendor pony.

"Uhh, we're sorry to bother you, sir." She quickly said as she went to follow Rarity.

MEANWHILE

After a talk with the pony in charge of the Ferris wheel with Twilight convincing him that Sonic isn't a danger, they managed to get a ride on the Ferris wheel. As Sonic was slumping on the handles as the seat was rising upwards.

"Jeez, what a hassle," Sonic said as he breathed a sigh and Twilight went up to him and places her hooves on the handle.

"I'm really sorry about that, I don't remember them acting like this before." She said as she looks down.

"Heh that's alright Twi, I can handle a few insults." He said cheering up Twilight. The cart then stopped at the top. Though as he said that he looked at Twilight again as she looked sadder.

"But you don't deserve getting shunned by everyone, doesn't that annoy you? You know you're a hero, didn't it annoy you when I didn't believe you? That I hurt you?" Twilight sobbed.

"Yeah it annoyed me but I knew that I can convince you that I'm good right?" He said though she still looked sad.

"Yes, but I'm still sorry, thanks to me the princess is gone, and now I turn into a hairy beast at night… not that I'm saying that's a bad thing especially for you Sonic" She panicked before he silenced her making her stop and relax.

"Hey it's alright Twilight." He said as he and she looked out the distance, they look at the town below and Twilight's castle. "So that's the castle huh?" Sonic asked, as she nodded, "Pretty big, and beautiful on a night like this…" Sonic trailed off,

As Twilight was watching this she then felt arms approached on her neck and noticed Sonic's arms on said neck.

"Umm, Sonic?" She asked blushing from the action he was doing. She heard a noise coming from him, he was snoring, meaning he was asleep.

"Wait, he's asleep, why would he be doing that?!" She wondered as Sonic then slumped onto Twilight and he fell right onto her chest.

"Oh Celestia! Why now? Is he just like that from being a werewolf the entire nig- oh wait never mind, but should I wake him?" She wondered as she places her hooves over his head trying to get off him though his grip on her felt real tight on her.

Without warning, he rose up, and his rage exploded as his clear, light blue colouration on his fur, changed to gain more fur and of a darker hue, his teeth started to change, and whilst this he looked at Twilight who was surprised by his transformation.

"S-Sorry about that Twi, I guess it's almost night time, and since you might turn..." He then grabs Twilight as he had her in his arms and then extends his arms to a nearby ledge and swings off the Ferris wheel and hops out the seats and lands somewhere else. "It's probably better if you aren't seen by other ponies, they may say things…" Sonic joked, but as he finished the sentence a giant explosion occurred.

"And that's my cue to stop whatever commotion is going on," Sonic said as he turned back to the carnival. "Twilight you stay here ok. Also, don't try and fight the transformation. It's going to be freaky, but trust me. Don't fight it. I'll be back." He said as he took off back to the carnival.

"Wait Sonic!" She said trying to stop him, but he was gone before she had a chance. She stood for a second but as the night arose the wind blew hard as Twilight felt the pain return again. "Augh w-w-what is...wait" She then recalled when Sonic transformed and realized what was happening. "Urgh….Got to remember what Sonic said. Don't fight it. Just let it come out." She said as she let the transformation occur.

She shouted in rage as her fur color darkened, her body and muzzle grew, her wings also grew into bat-like wings. Her eyes lavender color closed until the pupils were as big as a grape, her teeth turned into fangs, the front legs almost turned all white while the bottom of the hind legs turned white, and her mane and tail darkened and was all fluffed up. She then gasped heavily as she was settling down.

"Huff, huff, huff, so this is what is...huff what it feels like." She gasps and catches her breath, then a lavender aura shoots out from her horn and from the spot she fired from was a sheet of ice.

"And I can shoot out ice instead of magic, that's …...interesting I guess?" She then hits the spot with her hind hooves and the sheet breaks easily from her strength. "Hmm strength as well. Sonic was kidding when he said this form would provide some new powers." She then turns to the carnival "I can't wait around, though. Sonic might need my help." She then started to flap her wings but was a little wobbly. "Whoa….okay remember Twilight. Bat wings so they're a little different from pony wings." She said to herself.

She was able though to get airborne and took off for the carnival. Sonic was jumping and swing from tree to tree and that's when he stopped and turned to see Twilight and she then landed below him. He then smirked as he looked at her.

"Heh, so you're coming along eh?" He grumbles as he falls down to where she was at.

"Well, of course, my friends could be in trouble, and besides..." She then bucks the air for a few times. "I want to see what I can do with these new powers of mine." She said as she grins with her fangs showing. Sonic smirked at this letting his fangs show as well. He then turned to her as he spoke.

"Alright then let's go Twilight the Werepony," He said as he got on all fours and ran ahead with Twilight on his tail. She thought as she questioned herself about something.

"Werepony?" She asked as she was right behind him flying overhead. The two then approached the carnival and soon spotted their friends. Applejack sees this.

"WHOA, Nelly." She shouts as she backs up as she and the others were frightened as well, though as she recognized who the big two. "Oh, sorry about that I just got spooked."

"That's alright cowgirl," Sonic said as he looked around the place. "What happened here?" He asked, then Pinkie appeared right in front of Sonic.

"That same guy who attacked Twilight's castle named Eggman came through with some machine he was on, and then he grabbed Fluttershy and then vamoosed out of here!' She said as she was making these weird gestures as she explained to Sonic and Twilight.

"Wait, what?! Why would he kidnap Fluttershy of all ponies?!" Twilight questioned as she looked upset.

"WAIT, what kind of thing did you say she can do?" Sonic asked the others as Rainbow Dash answered his question. "She's an animal caretaker, why do you ask?" She said as Sonic was wondering about what she said. "How good as she?" He said with a whisper.

"She's the best! In fact, her cutie mark is about her taking care and communicating with the animals." She said as Sonic just ran on his fours leaving the others surprised.

"What's up with him?" Rarity asked as she dusted off the dirt that got into her hair. Twilight then got her hooves deep in the ground, and then took off into the air.

She then got near Sonic as he was running. "Hey, what's up? Is Fluttershy in danger?" She asked as she wondered.

"No, that's not what I'm worried about, it's the animals I'm worried. Eggman's probably gonna use those animals to power his machines!" He said as he then got up on his feet and then swing through the trees.

"He's….using them for….resources?" She said as Sonic nodded. "I know sick, isn't it? Another worse case scenario is he's going to robotize them as well!"

"Robotize? What's that?" She asked as she then was flying up the trees to meet Sonic there.

"It's a process that makes the animal or being into a machine, you know those things that we fought back in your castle?" He asked. Twilight thought for a moment and recalled.

"Oh, no….That's awful! We can't let him take Fluttershy or else he'll use her talents to bring the animals to him." She said as Sonic noded. "Right so let's go after him!" He ran forward deeper into the forest with Twilight following him.